Adam Schefter takes on the JUGS machine, gets knocked off his feet

When newspaper beat writers become national voices and/or NFL insiders, the spotlight grows considerably. My point is that when ESPN's Adam Schefter, who has really become the leading insider in the football world, was covering the Denver Broncos for the Rocky Mountain News over a decade ago, he probably didn't envision himself one day imitating Ray Lewis' dance for a special SportsCenter intro.

That happened two weeks ago, and now Schefter can add another strange/awkward/funny/ridiculous moment to his résumé. He made a surprise appearance on Sunday NFL Countdown this weekend, mainly so that his colleagues could show viewers how tough it is to catch footballs at 50 mph after being launched from a JUGS machine:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JaU7hri0iOk

They're kind of laughing with you, Adam, but they're also laughing at you. At least a little bit. Kudos to Schefter, though, for being a good sport and opening himself up to somewhat of an embarrassing moment.

I'd also like to point out that a) Cris Carter is still a football god, b) the 5-foot-3 Schefter looks like a small child next to Carter and Keyshawn Johnson, and c) this was a pretty decent outside-the-box segment for ESPN.

Also, love those safety goggles.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.